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Is 'Nashville' Loved or Loathed by the City?

By Robert Pace 6:29 AM PST, November 28, 2012

While Hollywood can replicate nearly any setting imaginable, the brains of Nashville decided against replicating the iconic Tennessee music city in a Hollywood studio and headed to Music City itself to set up shop. Now halfway into its first season, the show's cast revealed their experiences thus far with their title city.

"I love Nashville; I really do," said Hayden Panettiere ("Juliette Barnes"). "It's so great to do a show like this where it's really, truly based on an iconic place like Nashville. There's a lot of places in this industry that we've faked for movies, for TV shows. We've faked New York City, and we've faked Hollywood and all of the above, but Nashville--it's not something you can fake."

Tackling an iconic American city like Nashville is a hefty responsibility, as locals hold representations of their city to a high standard for authenticity. Panettiere assured that Nashvillians are not only enjoying how their city depicted on the show but are also praising them for displaying its beauty.

"[The locals] love the show. They really do," she attested. "What's so flattering is that I've heard a lot of people from Nashville...or from the South [say], 'Thank you for representing us well as we truly are,' because I know that they depict the South in a very distinct way...I feel like we finally hit the nail on the head with it."

Charles Esten, who plays a musician and Rayna's (Connie Britton) former lover, noted that the positive reception from Nashville itself has enabled the show to contribute back to the city.

"It's great to know that you're not just looking at Nashville but you're sort of adding to it in some way," he said. "A bunch of people have come up to us and said that they've lived here so long [and] they've always loved it, but they maybe just forgot how beautiful it is...Some of the sets, like when Rayna and I were on the bridge, have reminded them like, 'Wow! This is a gorgeous town,' and it is."